Jasmine's POV
The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, touching my face before I was ready to wake up. My phone buzzed against the nightstand, a reminder of the press conference Ares had arranged.
I groaned, dragging myself up. Coffee first, then armor.
The apartment was too quiet, just the faint hum of the city below. I scrolled through the news while waiting for the kettle to boil. Every headline screamed the same thing: "KnightCorp & Duvall Holdings - The Alliance of the Century."
My reflection in the microwave looked calm, collected… maybe even confident. But my hands told another story. They trembled slightly around the mug, tiny ripples forming in the coffee. No amount of caffeine could fix the tension that had settled in my chest since last night.
Ares and I had agreed… or rather, argued until we were too tired to continue… about going public together. It was a smart move, the strategic one. But smart didn't always mean safe. Not with him. Not with us.
